Old News Entry – 1999

English

I am writing this page from our apartment in Taipei, Taiwan. We have been here since the end of June last year, trying hard to improve our Chinese language abilities. Taking classes at the Mandarin Training Center here in Taipei, plus using Chinese for our daily lives, of course, has greatly improved our Chinese skills. We both enjoy Taipei quite a lot, even though it took a while to adjust to the new surroundings. Unfortunately we have yet to get away from big-city life and really experience the Taiwanese countryside, but hope to be able to get away before we leave in February. We have been accepted to UIBE in Beijing, and will be studying Chinese there from March 1.

Taipei is a fascinating city, with a great blend of Western and Eastern influences, and it is a mix of old and new. Buddhist temples vie for space with shops selling fashionable Swatch watches and Nike shoes, and between the skyscrapers are small markets selling live chickens and herbs. It is a great place for exploring, since you never know what will be around the next corner. For all the international flavor of the city, however, away from the universities and the main shopping centers we are often the only Westerners in sight. Small children sometime stare, point and say “foreigner”, and then start crying… For us, though, that’s part of the charm of the city. We have really enjoyed our time here, but we are also looking forward to going to Beijing in a few weeks.